Book Review: ‘Between the Covers’ by Jilly Cooper

I love Jilly Cooper – her Rutshire Chronicles were pretty much my constant companions throughout my teens and twenties – and was so pleased to be granted access to read this collection of her journalism. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The book features a selection of Cooper’s journalism covering the period she wrote columns for The Times (roughly from the end of the 1960s to the early 1980s). As expected from Cooper, it features meditations on sex – the raunchy nature of her fiction books is well-known – but also mid-life, family, pets, domesticity, relationships and plenty more. It is also packed with humour – there’s lots of self-deprecation, witty turns of phrase, puns and plenty of Cooper’s ability to see the ridiculous in situations.

Given my rather vintage status as a Jilly Cooper reader, I was slightly disappointed to learn that there is no new material in the book – I hadn’t previously read a lot of Cooper’s journalism but some of the pieces were definitely familiar to me. This would be great though for those who haven’t encountered the stories of Cooper’s private life told in lively and hilarious detail before.

I did vaguely wonder whether the pieces would appear dated, but I’d say they still felt relevant and modern. There were plenty of bits that felt relatable, especially around the topics of middle age and family given that this is where I am currently! Obviously, Cooper’s view of scrimping and saving might be different to mine given that her and her husband seem to have some choice London addresses, but I appreciate the sentiment. I also liked her thoughts on female friendship and her candid approach to telling her stories, disasters and all. I loved the fact that she was far from being a domestic goddess, as that is my lot also!

It is a very funny book, although it must be noted that Cooper’s selection here deliberately swerves some of the sadder issues from her life that her fans will know about. This makes it a lovely introduction to jolly Jilly, but not the whole story of course. Still, it is a fun and extremely cheery jaunt through life as a young (later middle-aged) wife. I’m not sure if the pieces are arranged chronologically – I’d assumed so but it would have been useful to know when they were first published.

Alongside the book, I also listened to the audiobook read by Pandora Sykes – I’d whole-heartedly recommend this option as the anecdotes spring off the page and Jilly Cooper’s wit and humour comes alive.

Overall, I’d say this is an engaging and funny introduction to Cooper’s journalism of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. It won’t tell the whole story of an autobiography, but it will make you laugh and think and empathise. It’s 100% recycled material for us oldies (well, except a new foreword), but 100% entertaining.

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